Lana's POV
Our eyes locked, and in that stillness, something unspoken passed between us. His storm-gray gaze held me firmly, pinning me to the moment until I could hardly breathe. I hated it, hated how easily he disarmed me. Yet in the depths of that gaze, I found myself remembering all the nights I had secretly longed to know what he had done in the three years since our breakup.
I had wanted answers so badly I’d gone as far as bargaining with a witch. That vision she showed me had been vivid, cruel, unforgettable. Damon with women who weren’t me, their bodies tangled with his, their laughter echoing in my head long after the spell ended. That vision had burned me hollow, erasing the remnants of my foolish hope and cementing the walls I built to keep him out.
But now, standing in fron
